title: B7-H4 expression is associated with cancer progression and predicts patient survival in human thyroid cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to investigate the expression of B7-H4 in human thyroid cancer and determine any association with patient clinicopathological parameters and survival.
  
  
  METHODS
  B7-H4 expression in 64 clinical thyroid cancer specimens was assessed with immunohistochemistry. Moreover, B7-H4 mRNA expression in 10 fresh resected specimens were evaluated by the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Immunohistochemical staining of CD3 was performed to assess the number of tumor infiltrating T lymphocytes (TILs) in thyroid cancers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Positive B7-H4 immunohistochemical staining was observed in 61 out of 64 (95.3%) specimens of thyroid cancer tissues. Significantly more B7-H4 mRNA copies were found in thyroid cancer tissue than that adjacent normal tissue. Moreover, B7-H4 expression in human thyroid cancer tissues was significantly correlated with patient TNM stages and extrathyroidal extension (P<0.05), being inversely correlated with the number of TILs (P<0.05). The overall survival rate of the patients with higher B7-H4 expression was significantly worse than that of the patients with lower B7-H4 expression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This present study suggests that high B7-H4 expression is associated with cancer progression, reduced tumor immunosurveillance and worse patient outcomes in human thyroid cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University school of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Bing-Feng
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Yi-Peng
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Sheng-Lai
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhuang
authors.forename: Wen-Jie
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Ying-Bin
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015996:Survival Rate; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000378:metabolism; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000556:secondary; D060907:V-Set Domain-Containing T-Cell Activation Inhibitor 1 / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D060907:V-Set Domain-Containing T-Cell Activation Inhibitor 1; C475826:VTCN1 protein, human